Very interesting, i have tried the tinto 11 I had tried a number of different wines that night as well that's the problem with KWFE, I am correct in saying that Israeli Wines are moving away from the Cab's & Merlot's and using different style's?

Very interesting, i have tried the tinto 11 I had tried a number of different wines that night as well that's the problem with KWFE, I am correct in saying that Israeli Wines are moving away from the Cab's & Merlot's and using different style's?

I personally found both the '08 and '09 Yarden 2T to be still not so different style-wise from Yarden's usual (very fruit forward, oaky, very ripe an even sometimes overripe fruit) and thus too new world to really give a sense of a Douro-style wine. The Tinto does however a pretty good job at that (not that I have many points of comparison having had only the Casa del Douro wines to compare it with) and is significantly less expensive than the 2T.

To say that Israel is moving away from Cab & Merlot would be way exaggerated but they are definitely getting more adventurous and exploring the many different varieties and styles with which the local terroir and Mediterranean climate is better reflected. We shall see more and more blends and varietal wines with Carignan, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah etc over the next coming years.

So what did you pour for my daughter, Gabe? She said a Port and a blend, but she didn't remember the names. She told me that she really liked the Port, but although the blend was good, she's had better. Abby is just getting into the wonderful world of wine description. She doesn't have the vocabulary, but she knows qualitatively what she has had before.

First of all Craig it was lovely to meet Abby. We had the 2010 Netofa Fine Ruby Port-style. Very nice indeed. Then we had '11 Gvaot Vineyard Dance a Bordeaux blend of mostly Cabernet and Merlot with some PV as well, 12 months barrel-aged. Not their best vintage, good acid but very soft tannins and ready for drinking.

She got a bottle of Binyamina Late Harvest Gewurz (she obviously misses yours) and I strongly insisted that she lets me know how she likes it compared with GAN EDEN's though she is biased of course.

haven't tried the Tinto. But I've had a few bottles of the 2T and like it very much. I agree that it has a typical rich fruit-forward feel like many Yarden single vineyard. But the 2T has a unique character that I like a lot. While this wine is drinking very nicely now, my sense is that it will improve over the next year or so (maybe more...)